Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-25
MARK TWAIN'S YOUTH.
HOW HE CAME TO Be A PILOT
ON THE MISSISSIPPI.

A Chat with the veteran Under W nom
Clemens Learned the Crooks and Shall
lows of the Great River-First Literary
Work.
Capt. Horace Bixby, of the magnificent
steamer City of Baton Rouge, is the most
popular man on southern waters Capt.
Bixby is a well preserved relic of the golden
age of the river, and has been constant stu
dent of currents and chutes for forty years.
Horace Bixby is the man who taught Mark
Twain how to steer a steamboat, and the sue
cess of his whilom cub has reflected consider
able glory on the tutor. That was away
back in the SOS, when Bixby was pilot, and
after all these years he is now of the opinion
that pilot is a bigger man than captain
any day, and especially on dark night in
tight place Capt. Bixhy is now 81 years OF
age, and he ssrys: 81 am just nine and half
years older that Sam Clemens When in
a reminiscent mood the other day he said:
at was quite remarkable how Sam Glenn
ems happened to become pilot He has
written great deal about t himself, but
don't believe heever told it all. 1t was in the
spring of '57. was thu running regularly
between St Louis aud New Orleans and oc-
casionally doing an outside job on the Ohio
river from Cincinnati TO New Orleans 1t
was on one Of these outside trips that 1 first
met Clemens. | was taking the Paul Jones
down from Cincinnati, and he was paSsen-
| ger on board. In those times the pilot house
was great loafiug place for passengers and
pilots out OF work They came in, spit all
over the wheel, swapped lies, and then left
the pilot on duty to slosh around i'll the
| debris | didn't like it bit, and | was
mighty short with all passengers who at
| tempted to talk with me. One morning when
| the b at reached Island No. IS in the Mis-
siSSippi river, and we were booming along at
good gait, a Young man walked into the
| pilot house, and after watching me for few
minutes, sail Good morning. in
| drawing iuunper."
Il said good morning mighty sharp,
| thinking it would freeze him out. But it
| didn't He said:
| Don't You want boy to learn
! the I-i-v-e-rn
mo; don't want any boy to learn the
river. What are you pulling your words
HAT way lorF
| - do MT know. You will have
to ask MY mother. She d-o-e-s the
| -a-nl-c thing
Il thought he was chatting Inc when he
| said that and looked up. but his face was
| just as sober as a preachers, He then asked
me if knew the BowenS who were on the
| river told him that | did and worked
y i'h ono OF them in 1853 He told me that
| tine la.wc1ts lived next door to his father,
! uiGs Clemens, Of Hannibal, No In his
| .sneans way he told me Of his plans He
bal iearnei printing at Hannibal on bis
| iruti'ci'5 paper. but Ii did not agree with
| him, and hg was gong Ia South America for
his tseal'h. He linrd line river, however, and
would abandon his projected invasion of
| South America for an opportunity to become
Il pilot.
There is only one thing that would in
| duce Inc to teach you the river sad L
Nv hats THAR he asked
Money said l.
"'Mone-yF h. echoed
~'That's just it, answered.
"'Ho -w n-u-c-h' he gaSped.
"'Five hundred dollars said
"'We-H, | ai1l't got that much said he
| "'Thri you better get it if you want to
learn the river replied
1--WE got Ell gI-t lots w N K-e-o-S-u-k.
Iowa, but | don't know w-ha. they would
| bring, an I-ve got 1900 acres of land in
| Ten-ness ee that can get twenty-five cents
an acre for said he summing III, his assets.
We talked for some time and he impressed
me very favoraAy. 1t was finally agreed
that he was to pay me 500 down and SIS
| every six months until the debt was paid
| l told him that he would have to provide
| his own clothes and board while in port
~ - l.. Il l
and lodging free He started in as cub
| on the Aleck Scott and he learned rapidly
He was then just past q, and rather eccen-
trio. He always had writing paper and
pencil around the pilot house, and was
eternally scribbling away at something
| | seldom ever tried to investigate the
mysteries of his manuscript, but | soon
turned his talent to good account In
those days pilots made ont reports of the con
ditIun Of the channel, and Clemens ut once
developed into a brilliant and picturesque
ri=er reporter. His reports were humorous
ard contained all the information. and were
frequently copied into the papers Just as he
wrote them. This | think was the first pub
lie writing that he md, except, perhaps, some
Squibs for the hannibal paper. He was a
good hoy, not addicted to dissipation and
obeyed orders. He hated suspenders and
used to enjoy himself in very loose clothes,
with his hair reached back We steered to-
gether on many trips, and then be changed
around and in two years received a license
that made him full flsdged pilot. His first
boat was the AlCnzo Child, under Capt De
Haven, and he kept turning the wheel until
the war broke out. HIS boat was then in the
south, and he piloted three months for the
Confederacy. Then he got through the lines
and went home. but after a short stay at
Hannibal he went as a volunteer for three
months in the army of Gen. Sterling Price,
the Missouri Confederate. He fought for the
Confederacy three more months on land and
then reiterated In good order, with his right
resting on St. Louis His brother, OIrin
Clemens, was at that time nominated score
tary of the territory Of Nevada, and Sam &C.
companied him west. Everybody knows the
rest
Three years ago Clemens accompanied
Capt. Bixby down the river, and the old sto-
lies and glories were revived The result of
the trip was the book "Oid Times on the
Mississippi" st Louis Cor Chicago Tribune.